Kell Brook vs Michael Zerafa in Sheffield on December 8

Kell Brook returns to the ring in front of his hometown fans at Sheffield Arena on December 8 when he takes on Michael Zerafa, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

‘The Special One’ was last in action in March when he swept away Sergey Rabchenko inside two rounds at Sheffield Arena to claim the WBC Silver Super-Welterweight title.

Former Welterweight Champion Brook is preparing to bring his weight down to 147lbs and must get past Australia’s Zefara in style if he is to secure a long-awaited British battle with former two-weight World Champion Amir Khan in 2019.

With Dominic Ingle unable to be in his corner for this fight due to other commitments, Brook is currently training in Fuerteventura with ex-boxer and friend John Fewkes ahead of his big return.

Zerafa, 26, is a former Commonwealth Super-Welterweight Champion and has secured 14 of his 25 wins via knockout. He has lost just two of his 27 professional fights and insists he will thrive off the underdog status on December 8.

“I’m delighted to be back at Sheffield Arena in front of my people,” said Brook. ”The Special One is back and all of my focus and attention is on getting myself ready to put on a spectacular performance for my loyal fans.

“I want to close the year in special fashion and set up some blockbuster fights in 2019 – I was ringside for Amir Khan’s last fight, so let’s see if he’ll be there on December 8, or will he be too shook for Brook?

“This is the biggest opportunity of Zerafa’s career and he will be coming over here to take my scalp but there’s levels in this game and I need to put him away to get the big fights that I desire.

“Meticulous work, dedication, preparation and focus has gone into this camp and I will continue to grin until fight week. I can’t wait to see you all at Sheffield Arena on December 8 where I will shine bright under all of the lights!”

“I thrive from being the underdog and I believe that Kell Brook’s team have made the mistake of overlooking me” said Zerafa. “I’m a completely different fighter to the man that lost to Peter Quillin and on December 8 I will prove that.

“I’ve already dreamt of beating Kell and replayed the fight over and over in my head. I was born for greatness and December 8 is the beginning of my rise to the top of the sport.

“Kell is a true warrior and a great Champion but he’s been in some tough fights and put a lot of miles on the clock. I see a ship with a lot of holes and too many holes leads to a sunken ship.

“He’s been in there with the best, but I believe I belong in the same ring as those fighters. On December 8 there will be a huge upset and I will make a lot of people eat their words.”

Unbeaten Irish star Jono Carroll faces French former European Champion Guillaume Frenois in a final eliminator to become mandatory challenger to IBF Super-Featherweight Champion Tevin Farmer.

“I’m delighted to see Kell back in the ring and I expect Zerafa to give it everything on December 8,” said Eddie Hearn. “We know that the Khan fight is on the horizon but this is all part of Kell’s preparation for being razor sharp and bringing his weight down to 147lbs – Zerafa aims to spoil the party.

“It’s a huge card with a brilliant final eliminator between Jono Carroll and Guillaume Frenois to become mandatory to the in form Tevin Farmer with Josh Kelly, Dave Allen and Spike O’Sullivan also in action. Kell is looking sensational in camp in Fuertaventura and I expect an electric performance in his home town on December 8.”

Jono Carroll has branded IBF Super-Featherweight World Champion Tevin Farmer a ‘joke of a man’ ahead of his final eliminator clash with Guillaume Frenois at the FlyDSA Arena on December 8.

The unbeaten Dublin star can win the right to challenge Farmer by overcoming France’s former European Champion Frenois next Saturday, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Farmer took aim at ‘King Kong’ on Twitter this week, promising to KO the former Prizefighter winner should they ever meet in the ring. A major money fight with Farmer is within touching distance and Carroll believes the American is only keeping the IBF crown warm for him.

“Tevin is an idiot, he’s a joke of a man,” blasted Carroll. “He gives backhanded compliments to his previous opponents that he’s beaten. He does a lot of immature things. He hasn’t got respect for anybody. He’s a fake person.

“All that flashiness is ridiculous. He does my head in as a person. He’s not a true Champion, he doesn’t hold himself like a Champion and he doesn’t behave like a Champion.

“I can’t wait to put him on a platform and smash him up. I’ll show everyone that he’s nothing but a heartless little b*tch. I’m going to tear him apart. I’m as real as they come but I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior.

“I’ve seen him quit before in the past. I’ve watched his fights where he was beaten. Even the commentators said that he looked to the referee for help. If you’re once soft, you’re always soft.

“For me, he hasn’t got a heart. He’s just had opponents smartly picked for him at this stage of his career and the ones that weren’t smartly picked for him smashed him up and beat him.

“I guarantee you I’m going to take that belt off him. I visualise the fight happening and I visualise winning the belt. There’s many ways it can happen. He’s literally just keeping that belt warm for me.”

Despite the heated back and forth with ‘American Idol’ on social media, Carroll remains fully focused at the task at hand and insists he is not overlooking 47 fight veteran Frenois.

“I don’t know too much about him,” admitted Carrol. “He’s experienced, that’s as much as I know. He’s experienced and in boxing you cannot buy experience. I have to be switched on and I have to be on my game.

“In some ways this is my World title fight because it’s all or nothing. He’s a very dangerous opponent, I’m not overlooking him. But at the same time I believe that I’m operating at World level. I’ve looked at one or two of his fights and I believe he is European level. I’ll adapt to him and I’ll beat him, and hopefully stop him.”

Carroll’s clash with Frenois is part of a huge night of boxing in the Steel City.

Rising Welterweight star Josh Kelly steps up in class as he takes on former WBA World Champion David Avanesyan in his ninth professional contest.

Explosive Liverpool Super-Welterweight Anthony Fowler is in title action as he targets a showdown with newly-crowned British Champion Ted Cheeseman in 2019 and IBF no.1 Featherweight contender Kid Galahad stays busy with an eye on the winner of Josh Warrington vs. Carl Frampton.

Sheffield is well represented on the undercard with Welterweight Anthony Tomlinson, Super-Middleweight Callum Hancock and Middleweight Shakiel Thompson all in action, while Leeds Super-Bantamweight Qais Ashfaq and Denaby Lightweight Terri Harper also feature.

Tickets for Brook vs. Zerafa priced at £40, £60, £100 and £200 (Inner Ring VIP) are available to purchase now for Fight Pass members via StubHub

General Sale begins on November 6 at midday with tickets available to purchase from StubHub, Sheffield Arena and Matchroom Boxing